By the age of two, the majority of children typically exhibit the capacity for imaginative play, transforming their personal spaces into fantastical realms and engaging in make-believe gatherings.
The faculty for conceptualizing something from nothing might be considered a uniquely human trait, forming the foundation of creativity that has spurred the development of novel artistic expressions, musical genres, and more.
However, a recent groundbreaking experiment offers preliminary evidence suggesting that a captive ape may possess the capability for imagination.
“The remarkable aspect of this research lies in its implication that the origins of this imaginative capacity are not exclusively confined to our species,” stated Christopher Krupenye, a co-author of the study affiliated with Johns Hopkins University.
The subject of this investigation is Kanzi, a bonobo who was reared in a laboratory setting and demonstrated exceptional proficiency in human communication through symbolic language. He exhibited the ability to combine symbols to generate new meanings and successfully learned to fashion rudimentary stone implements.
Researchers sought to determine if Kanzi possessed the cognitive ability for pretend play—that is, to act as if something were real while recognizing its unreality. Prior observations have documented female chimpanzees in their natural habitat treating sticks as infants and captive chimps dragging non-existent blocks after interacting with tangible ones.
The abstract nature of imagination, however, presents challenges in ascertaining the internal cognitive processes of apes. It remains plausible that their actions could stem from mimicry of researchers or a genuine misidentification of simulated objects as authentic.
To assess Kanzi’s imaginative faculties, scientists adapted methodologies typically employed in the study of young children, devising a simulated juice party scenario. They mimicked pouring imaginary liquid from a pitcher into two vessels, subsequently feigning the emptying of only one. When prompted, Kanzi indicated a preference for the cup containing the non-existent juice 68% of the time.
To validate that Kanzi could differentiate between the real and the imagined, a subsequent test involved actual juice. In this instance, Kanzi demonstrated a preference for the genuine beverage over the simulated one nearly 80% of the time, “underscoring his ability to discern between real and illusory juice,” commented Amalia Bastos, a fellow study co-author from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
A third experimental phase, involving the placement of artificial grapes into two containers, yielded comparable positive outcomes.
Nevertheless, not all experts are fully persuaded that Kanzi’s actions constitute pretend play in the human sense. Michael Tomasello, a comparative psychologist at Duke University, posits a distinction between envisioning an action and sustaining the pretense that the imagined event is real.
“To be convinced, I would require evidence of Kanzi actively simulating the pouring of liquid into a receptacle himself,” Tomasello conveyed via email. He had no involvement in the research, which was published on Thursday in the esteemed journal Science.
Kanzi’s upbringing among humans complicates definitive conclusions regarding the universality of his cognitive abilities across all ape species versus the influence of his unique environmental context. He passed away last year at the age of 44.
Given that numerous great ape species face critical endangerment in the wild, further investigation is imperative to fully comprehend the scope of their cognitive capacities.
“Kanzi has pioneered a pathway for a multitude of future research endeavors,” Bastos remarked.
